“Well done, Whipple!” cried Remsen and Blair in a breath.

“But the time!” muttered Remsen, “does he know—­”

“One minute to play!” came the ominous announcement.

Then, while a snap of the fingers could have been heard the length of the field, Whipple glanced deliberately around at the backs, slapped the broad back of the center sharply, seized the snapped ball, and made a swift, straight pass to Joel.  Then through the Hillton line went the St. Eustace players, breaking down with vigor born of desperation the blocking of their opponents.  With a leap into the air the St. Eustace left-guard bore down straight upon Joel; there was a concussion, and the latter went violently to earth, but not before his toe had met the rebounding ball; and the latter, describing a high arc, sailed safely, cleanly over the bar and between the posts!  And then, almost before the ball had touched the ground, the whistle blew shrilly, and apparent defeat had been turned into what was as good as victory to the triumphant wearers of the Hillton crimson!

Hillton and St. Eustace had played a tie.

And over the ropes, rushing, leaping, shouting, broke the tide of humanity, crimson flags swirled over a sea of heads, and pandemonium ruled the campus!

And on the ground where he had fallen lay Joel March.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE GOODWIN SCHOLARSHIP.

“But how did it all happen?” asked Outfield West breathlessly.

He had just entered and was seated on the edge of the bed whereon Joel lay propped up eating his Thanksgiving dinner from a tray.  It was seven o’clock in the evening, and Dickey Sproule was not yet back.  The yard was noisy with the shouts of lads returning from the dining hall, and an occasional cheer floated up, an echo of the afternoon’s event.  Joel moved a dish of pudding away from Outfield’s elbow as he answered between mouthfuls of turkey: 

“I was up here studying at the table there when I heard some one coming up stairs two steps at a time.  It was Clausen.  He threw open the door and cried:  ’They’re winning, March, they’re winning!  Come quick!  Remsen says we can tie them if you play.  It’s all right, March.  We’ll go to the office and I’ll tell everything.  Only come, hurry!’ Well, of course I thought first he was crazy.  Then I guessed what was up, because I knew that Eustace had scored—­”

“You couldn’t have known; you were studying.”

“Well, I—­I wasn’t studying all the time, Out.  So up I jumped, and we raced over to the office and found Professor Wheeler there asleep on the leather couch under the window.  ’It was Cloud and I, sir, that cut the rope!’ said Clausen.  ’I’m very sorry, sir, and I’ll take the punishment and glad to.  But March hadn’t anything to do with it, sir; he didn’t even know anything about it, sir!’ Professor Wheeler was about half awake, and he thought